Compassion Fatigue: Understanding it’s toll on you

Photo Credit: Tookapic

It is important to be able to identify signs of compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary trauma. In order to understand compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, and burnout, those of us who are mental health professionals must share what we know. You should not feel guilty about feeling exhausted for taking care of someone with a mental health condition.

It wasn’t until I experienced burn-out during the first 2 years of working in the field of mental health that I knew psychological and physical exhaustion was real. when I participated in the International Society of Trauma Professionals training on professional compassion fatigue (and obtained certification) a few months ago, I realized just how common emotional, psychological, and physiological exhaustion is. Because of this personal and professional experience, I have decided to incorporate what I know about compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary trauma into most of my articles for my audience. To start out, I want to give you the opportunity to take a self-test for yourself online. The results might shock you! The Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project has designed 3 self-tests that help you determine if you could be experiencing compassion fatigue. I encourage you to take at least one of them and consider speaking to a therapist or medical professional such as your PCP about your results.

Stay tuned for my article coming up on Wednesday, November 18th that provides detail on what burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma is at blogs.psychcentral.com/caregivers.

Today’s Date

My Mission

I founded and designed AnchoredInKnowledge.com in 2009. I knew that I wanted to help people learn what they didn’t know but didn’t know exactly how. After completing graduate school and landing an internship in a teaching hospital, I updated this website with the intention of marketing my services to children and adolescents only.

However, over the past 10 years of consulting with parents, families, and caregivers and treating suffering young people internationally, I realized their strong need for navigation through the muddy waters of the mental health system. During the same time I became certified in trauma therapy.

I strive to walk with all of my clients through tough times, help them explore what their challenges mean to them, and motivate them to find the faith, purpose, and peace to survive.

I am a mental health therapist working with psychological trauma, self-harm, and suicidal teens including angry, oppositional, or anxious and depressed kids. When I’m not working with these youths I am helping confused parents, families, and caregivers navigate the mental health system.

I bring both personal and professional experience with challenges of living and I combine these things in my work.

I hope this website serves as a resource and motivator for you.

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